Montgomery admits bets with Mingo, lack of effort at LSU

Posted by Darin Gantt on February 23, 2013, 6:27 PM EDT

AP

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o wasn’t the only high-profile college star creating as many questions as he answered Saturday.

LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery detailed hundreds of dollars worth of bets with teammate Barkevious Mingo while they were in college, and a $5,000 bet on which one is drafted higher (which he’s almost certainly going to lose).

But the thing NFL teams will want to know about was his admission that he took plays and games off while at LSU.

“You know, some weeks when we didn’t have to play the harder teams, there were some times when effort was not needed,” Montgomery said. “But when we had the big boys coming in, the ‘Bamas or the South Carolinas, I grabbed close to those guys and went all out.

“Of course, this is a new league, the NFL and there are no small teams, small divisions, it is all Alabamas and LSUs every week. It’s definitely something I have to get adjusted to, but I’m sure with the right coaching I will be fine.”

Asked if NFL teams might be concerned about his ability to flip the switch from not trying all the time, Montgomery said he has matured in the months since he left LSU.

“When you are a young, you do things as a boy, but when you grow, you do things as a man,” he said. “From a maturing standpoint, and from everything going into this league that I have learned so far, I was a boy in college, and now that I am going

into the league, I’ve become a man.”

Montgomery said he and Mingo (who many expect to be a top-10 pick, while Montgomery is projected as a late-first) had a $500 bet on who had more sacks in the final game, $1,000 on season sacks along with the big wager on draft status.

“Here’s the thing: Hard work, and betting like that, pushes greatness,” Montgomery said. “That’s actually motivating me and Mingo. It’s not about the money, it’s about pushing us, at the combine and the drills in between. That’s what is pushing us to be the best.

“It’s always been competitive for me and Mingo and it makes us better in the end. He’s a fast defensive end, I’m more physical. We have to switch over in those realms, so putting big stakes on it makes us more dominant players in the end.”

Setting aside the friendly bets, teams are going to wonder what they have to do to motivate Montgomery once they’re the ones paying him.

Bets on how many sacks he could get in a game? Sounds like he may be a fit with Gregg Williams.

Sam should have used a bit more discretion as it also wasnt the wisest choice to talk about taking games off against horrible teams. Other players at the combine may have had the same approach to games against FCS schools, but just kept quiet.

I don’t have a problem with the “friendly” bets to motivate each other – though $500-$1,000 bets are pretty big numbers for a couple of college guys who haven’t collected NFL game-checks yet…

The lack of effort is an issue, especially when you consider these guys are pass rushers.

The best pass rushers in the NFL only get 15-20 sacks per season, or about 1 per game.
They get that 1 sack per game through persistence/high effort on every passing down since the opportunities for a sack are limited (around 30 pass plays per game), and even the best pass rushers fail to reach the QB most of the time.

I’d prefer guys who like JJ Watt and Cameron Wake have a high motor and don’t take plays off.

You would have to be a complete moron to take those games off. Especially if you are building an NFL career. Wouldnt you want to rack those stats up. I know NFL teams would see the stats coming against lesser competition, but I know when I play I take advantage of playing lesser competition. That is where you fill the stat sheets up

ridiculous. damned if you do damned if you don’t. how many players out there play 100% every game every snap. thus guy is honest and now its like he’s gonna drop because of it? wow. this is why so many guys give cookie cutter responses and then get blasted because everything they say sounds the same.

I was thinking the same thing. Where did they get the money for these wagers? The only explanation would be if they paid up after the draft. I’m sure the NCAA will be curious about this. As another person stated, they’re so interested in tattoos and computers that I’m sure they’ll investigate.

Why aren’t these agents working with these guys on the interview process? It’s such a huge part of the process and can cause a player to slide just as much as a bad 40 time.

No one is gonna buy that b.s. about him now being a man. Welcome to the 3rd round, idiot. You just cost yourself a whole lot of gambling money, plus $1,000 because there’s no way you’re being drafted ahead of Mingo.